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CAPITAL IDEAS UPCOMING EVENTS DECEMBER 3: CALGARY CROWDFUNDING BOOTCAMP: LEARN EVERYTHING Covers essential crowdfunding education for issuers, investors and all other parties interested. Where: Dentons Canada LLP (850- 2nd Street S.W.) ■ When:1 to 6 p.m. ■ Admission: $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers. More info at ncfacanada.org
FINANCIAL POST
CA LG A RY H E R A L D
COMMUNITY QUESTION
WHERE DO YOU LOOK WHEN RECRUITING TOP TALENT FOR YOUR BUSINESS? Entrepreneurs share insights on how they find the best staff for their companies “Our biggest HR challenge is finding talented, creative people that can integrate into our team’s culture. Attracting the new generation takes more than ping-pong tables, beanbag chairs, etc. It requires a deep shift in organizational culture and to gain commitment early, we’ve invested in implementing a robust internship program.” Kris Hans, strategist at Market Grade Ltd., marketgrade.com
DECEMBER 9: INNOVATOR’ S TOOLKIT SERIES: MONEY + MILESTONES Learn from investors and fellow entrepreneurs about financing your opportunity. ■ Where: Alastair Ross Technology Centre (3553 31 St N.W.) ■ When: 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. ■ Admission: $125. More info at innovatecalgary.com
“We look in a couple of places when we are looking for talent in our business. First, we look to professionals that we see in action, it is where we can get a really good idea of their skill set and capability. Secondly, we often get referrals from people who know us and can see the synergy between ourselves and a potential hire. Lastly, we reach out to professionals we have worked with in the past to fill positions with us. Since we hire like-minded entrepreneurs to fill our training positions, there are always great people out there that are wanting to expand into other markets and are wanting to work with us. Hiring administrative talent is harder in that we do not get to see them in action before we hire. We do explore social media connections to hire for these positions. Referrals, like in business, work best for us.”
For more great events, visit capitalideascalgary.com/ calgaryevents.
Merri Lemmex, managing partner of operations at Lemmex Williams Training Inc., lemmexwilliams.com
“Typically, top talent isn’t walking the streets with resume in hand. For our organization we focus on individuals who belong or have belonged to groups that require tryouts or auditions because individuals who excel in those environments usually have the ambition and drive and capacity to learn from failure that will make them successful with us.”
C A P I TA L QUESTION
Is it true the customer is always right?
Hamish Knox, president of Sandler Training in Calgary, hamish.sandler.com
“(We turn to) networking for immediate hires. For future hires we use Kijiji, blog posts on our company website, Facebook and LinkedIn.” Christine Reimer, founder of Bridge The Gap Accounting Services Ltd., btgaccounting.com
“I look within my own network. People love to make connections, especially among people they know. When I have a need, I start talking about it and more times than not, I find the perfect match in a colleague or through a referral from someone in my network. It is always great, and usually easier, to work with people who others have vouched for.”
Everyone knows the old saying “the customer is always right”. But with so many changes in business and technology since it became a popular saying, does it still hold the same meaning today? Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business, is curious to hear your take on this famous business phrase: Is it true the customer is always right? You can answer the question in two ways: Open today’s Capital Ideas email if you’re a member or visit capitalideascalgary.com. We’ll publish the best answers, along with your business name and website address, on December 10.
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Kevin Kent, chief knife nerd and president of Knifewear (knifewear.com), believes that hires can come from anywhere. “We hire for attitude and energy rather than for experience. Some of our most experienced hires have been our worst hires. Also, since I was a chef for 20 plus years and we sell kitchen knives I tend to hire chefs who want a change. It’s great because we speak the same language.” P H O T O S U P P L I E D BY : K E V I N K E N T
Amanda Schewaga, owner of The Marketing Girl Inc., themarketinggirl.com
YOUR TURN TO ASK THE QUESTIONS Do you have a question for the Capital Ideas community? Pose it at capitalideascalgary.com/ask.
These answers are in response to a question posed by Sheila Musgrove, founder of Tag Recruitment Group (tagrecruitmentgroup.com), here’s her take: “I always use a multi-faceted approach covering social media (LinkedIn and Facebook), my network and our database of talent. Our job posting ads aim to be fun and unique and get great responses!”
R O U N D U P : R E C E N T P O S T S F R O M C A P I TA L I D E A S M E M B E R S Find the full posts on these members’ LinkedIn profiles or at their website. We’ll curate a selection every Friday in our LinkedIn group, Capital Ideas Alberta. To bring yours to our attention, email it to hello@capitalideascalgary.com or post to LinkedIn with the hashtag #capitalideas.
From “Who knew? Your best people may still fail” by Len Nanjad, partner at COREinternational (coreinternational.com):
From “The marketing pipeline: Key to consistent business” by Ave Peetri, owner of Confident Marketing Coach (confidentmarketingcoach.com):
From “Personal branding tips for entrepreneurs” by Amber Craig, CEO at Bamboo Creative Inc. ( bamboocreativeinc.com):
“I have been talking to a lot of people in the oil patch who are nervous about what is going to happen to people as the industry faces a real longer term adjustment of its economics. Some might still hope (and pray) that it is a business cycle that we have seen and lived through before and that the price of oil will eventually rebound.”
“One challenge that clients often approach me with is setting up their marketing in such a way that it provides a steady stream of ideal clients for their business. They have tried a variety of marketing tactics only to find that there is either no response, or the results aren’t consistent.”
“I’m going to impart some wisdom on building a personal brand, that all entrepreneurs can benefit from. When you start a business, branding has a huge role, and your personal brand can have a big impact on your success as well.”
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